The next morning, Du Zhongxiao, Zhao Zi and Liu Ji stood in the command room, looking at the map, and discussing the situation of the war.

Zhao Zi said: "According to the information we have received, the total strength of the Khitan Zhongjing Road is about 32,000. Among them, 11,000 are in the hands of those who are about to sacrifice the city. If everything is as Ma Di said, and they sacrifice the city smoothly, this battle should be very easy."

Du Zhongxiao said: "No matter whether they are true or false, 50,000 troops will not attack Dading Prefecture, it is enough. Liuji, if you lead the army northward, you will only send a few officials in each city to manage with the Khitans in Xiancheng. Your main force does not need to enter the city, but directly take Yuzhou. After arriving in Yuzhou, the army will immediately enter the city and occupy the city firmly. Even if the Khitan generals are fake Xiancheng, there will be troops behind you, so there are no need to worry about the retreat."

Liu Ji bowed and said, "If the Khitan pretended to offer the city, where will my 50,000 troops come from?"

Du Zhongxiao said: "If it is a fake offer to the city, why are you still polite? Because food is against the enemy, isn't this method simple?"

Liu Ji sighed: "The Khitan has been struggling for so many years, and the people suffer because of the food in the enemy. Alas, the final battle has really come to the front, and I still feel over and over. In the battle of Youzhou, we relieve the people from the upside down. Whenever we go, the people will greet each other. Don't have the last battle, but instead want to harm the people, which is really uneasy."

Du Zhongxiao said: "When the two countries are at war, what will happen? Don't think too much about the things that are impossible."

Zhao Zi said: "If these Khitan generals successfully offer the city, Grand Marshal Liu will lead his troops to Yuzhou and temporarily provide food. Just guard Yuzhou and do not take the initiative to tease the Khitans. When Grand Marshal Du and the army of Wang Kai and Jia Kui arrive, they will attack Dading Prefecture together."

Liu Ji said: "What if the Khitan sent troops to attack? The Dading Mansion is the last essence of the Khitan. If you really try your best, you can still get tens of thousands of soldiers. More than tens of thousands of palace troops, and the Oludo behind them should also have tens of thousands of young and strong people."

Du Zhongxiao said: "It is said that everyone in the nomadic peoples are good at riding and shooting. How could this be true? There are indeed strong people in Oluduo. Li Zhang sent people to inquire, and all the people sent out, and at most 50,000 or 60,000 people. These are not regular soldiers and have not passed through the battle formation. Can't you still defend it? As long as you guard Yuzhou City and wait for the troops behind to arrive, you don't need to defeat them."

Liu Jidao: "The officials followed the order. This time, I went north and mostly walked on mountain roads, and I couldn't take the heavy artillery with me."

Du Zhongxiao said: "It's not just that heavy artillery cannons cannot be taken away, but ordinary artillery cannons are too heavy to be carried by livestock. This time you bring more horses, even if you are infantry, try to ride horses. There are still a large number of horses in Youzhou now, which should be enough."

Liu Ji said yes.

Zhao Zi said: "The most important thing now is to hurry up. It is rare for Khitan generals to offer the city. Don't miss the opportunity. Although the Khitan has not suppressed their strength now, it is difficult to say for a long time. Moreover, after the defeat of Youzhou, the Khitan has been arguing endlessly. Until now, it has not been decided who will be the new emperor. Taking advantage of this opportunity, our army will quickly advance north and make the world a decision in one fell swoop!"

Liu Ji looked at the map and nodded. Although there were roads from Youzhou to Yuzhou, they were all walking through the mountains, which was very difficult to walk. The 50,000 troops were rushing to the mountain road, which was actually not easy. The food and grass transportation behind could not be organized in an urgent manner, and they could only be supplied by the Khitan.

What Liu Ji was most worried about was whether the Khitan generals who sacrificed the city were sincere. Don’t let tens of thousands of troops arrive in the territory of the Khitan, and they cannot find food, but it will be troublesome. Liu Ji did not forget the tragic situation of the Khitan shortage of food before the New Year, but he did not want it to happen to him. If they could really offer the city and supply food and grass, then there would be no problem.

Du Zhongxiao said: "The road is full of mountain roads, and walking is extremely inconvenient. It is actually not easy for you to have a 50,000 army. If you set out in Youzhou, each person will bring 10 days of food and eat it on the road. Within ten days, you must go to Bei'anzhou and replenish food there. Remember, every time the army sets off, you must bring 5 days of food. It must be used for at least five days to avoid accidents. As long as the Khitan guard refuses to offer, attack immediately. Remember not to let the army be hungry. If there is a shortage of food in the army, it is easy to cause chaos. If you are sending troops outside, remember this."

Liu Ji crossed his hands and said, "Don't worry, Taiwei, I will care carefully. The thing I worry most is that the Khitan generals don't really offer the city, but just lead me into the hub. As long as the Khitan does not cause trouble, there should be no problem."

Du Zhongxiao said: "If the Khitans go back on their word, don't be polite. Do your best to attack the city that Wuxiancheng, and after going down the city, kill the defenders. If you have 50,000 people, even though the artillery fire is small, the Khitan should not be able to defend against it."

Liu Ji nodded: "The official understands."

Zhao Zi said: "This time the attack on Dading Prefecture is not close. Moreover, Liu Taiwei will go first, and he may have to wait in Yuzhou for some time. These days, we will not send troops northwards, and rely entirely on the Khitan surrendered generals to guard the road. During this period, Liu Taiwei must be careful not to have a quarrel with the Khitan surrendered generals. Only when Wang Kai and Jia Kui arrive in Youzhou will Du Taiwei lead the army northward."

Du Zhongxiao said: "After all, the reason why I sent you to lead the army first is to eat the cities offered by these surrendered Khitan generals. I was too late to go there, and I was afraid that the Khitan would find out, so we would miss the opportunity. So at the beginning, you have to feel a little wronged."

Liu Jidao: "What is the matter with the Taiwei? Since the subordinate officials are generals, they should lead troops to serve as national affairs."

Du Zhongxiao nodded and sighed, "In this battle, the army will overturn the Yanshan Mountains. If the Khitans don't offer the city, we have to make more preparations and pay a relatively large price. Isn't it easy to go out from the north of the Central Plains?"

The three of them looked at the map and carefully discussed the itinerary of Liu Jiquan's army. From Youzhou to attack Dading Prefecture, the route was roughly equivalent to later Beijing to the south of Chifeng, and all were mountain roads. If the Khitan did not offer the city, just hold a few key points on the road, it would be enough for the Song army to have a headache.

Without Ma Di coming south, Du Zhongxiao originally planned not to attack Dading Prefecture. Instead, he set out from Hequ Road, attacked Shangjing first, and then hit Jingdao from the side and back. The Khitan general Xiancheng, and the most important natural danger of Yanshan was suddenly in his hands, and things were much simpler.

It is never an easy thing to go north to the Central Plains. In fact, as long as the Central Plains dynasty was normal, the army of the northern nomadic people was not very strong. As long as there were 100,000 or 200,000 troops, it would be enough to gain the upper hand. However, 100,000 troops, most of the north, the local food and grass will not last long. If the transportation of grain from the Central Plains is too high, it may be necessary to gather all the people in Hebei and Hedong, not only food and grass, but also young and strong people to be the transporter of grain to support it.

Such a war is also very difficult for the Central Plains. In addition to fighting troops, one attack requires millions of people to be used to disturb the world. Therefore, when the Central Plains attack the north, they often divide first. When each unit has few troops, they dispatch small groups of troops to fight. If the north is truly unified, it is difficult for the Central Plains to advance north. However, nomadic peoples can plunder from the Central Plains, and the pressure will be much smaller.
Chapter completed!